The horse is a roaming animal with a gastro intestinal digestive system designed for and accustomed to grazing up to 17 hours a day. Thus, the horse's digestive system is specifically designed for the intake of small quantities of feed over long periods of time. Horses and certain other animals did not evolve to develop the mechanism which turns stomach acid on and off, like humans. Therefore, a horse's stomach typically produces stomach acid 24 hours a day even when there is no food present and such production can be up to 9 gallons of acidic fluid per day.
Stalled horses, with minimal access to pasture for grazing, are normally fed 2-3 times per day which leads to the buildup of excess stomach acid, as the stomach is subjected to prolonged periods of time without feed present to neutralize the acid. As such, gastric ulcers are quite common in domesticated/stalled horses and foals; their prevalence has been estimated at from about 50% to about 90%, depending upon the population surveyed and type and level of athletic activity in which the horses are engaged.
Foals are often subject to stomach ulcers causing morbidity and mortality. Clinical signs of ulcers in foals include intermittent colic (after suckling or eating), frequent recumbency (this is common in foals since this position seems to provide some relief from severe gastric ulceration), intermittent nursing, diarrhea, poor appetite, grinding of teeth and excessive salivation.
Adult horses with stomach ulcers may exhibit one or more clinical signs of ulcers including: poor appetite, attitude changes, decreased performance, reluctance to train or work, excessive recumbency, poor body condition, rough hair coat, weight loss, low grade colic and/or loose feces. More serious cases will show abdominal pain (colic) and/or grinding of the teeth. Others may walk away from food for a period of time as if the horse experiences discomfort when the food first contacts the stomach. Due to the range of common clinical signs of ulcers (and the fact that some horses with ulcers show no outward signs), the only clinically proven way to diagnose and verify stomach ulcers in horses is through gastric endoscopy or gastroscopy. Unfortunately, this involves placing an endoscope into the horse's stomach to examine its inner surface. This is unpleasant for the horse and sometimes a complex procedure for the veterinarian as it invariably requires anesthesia. In addition, this process can be very costly for the horse owner and a large number of veterinarians do not have access to an endoscope; due to the high cost basis for this type of equipment.
Unfortunately, currently available solutions for the prevention or treatment of ulcers or other gastrointestinal distress require a licensed caregiver to prescribe an oral administration of expensive treatments with a dosing syringe. In addition to being costly, many horses or other animals fight this type of treatment, which makes administration difficult.
What is needed is a method and supplement for prevention and/or treatment of gastrointestinal distress, including ulcer conditions in horses and other animal species. It would be further advantageous if the method and supplement employed generally available materials, which were safe and effective. It would be further advantageous if the supplement could be provided in a variety of forms and could be readily formulated with existing equipment. Advantageously, the present invention accomplishes one or more up to all of the aforementioned needs.
In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a nutritional supplement for the prevention or treatment of gastrointestinal distress in animals comprising mastic gum and an emulsifying agent such as lecithin. The supplement may alternatively be used to support a healthy digestive tract in a broad range of animals. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of preventing gastrointestinal distress in an animal comprising: dosing an animal orally at least once daily with a supplement. The supplement comprises: mastic gum and an emulsifying agent such as lecithin in a weight ratio of mastic gum to emulsifying agent such as lecithin of from about 1:10 to about 1:50 based on the total weight of mastic gum and emulsifying agent such as lecithin. In another embodiment, the invention pertains to a method of preventing or treating ulcer conditions in a horse. The method comprises providing an effective amount of a supplement to address and/or treat gastrointestinal distress. The supplement comprises mastic gum, an emulsifying agent such as lecithin, and optionally one or more B vitamins, and one or more biotics selected from prebiotics, probiotics, and combinations thereof.